Savar Building Collapse

Dhaka defends foreign help rejection

In this April 25 photo, rescuers are seen bringing a body recovered from debris of the collapsed building in Savar on the outskirts of the capital.

Bangladesh has defended its decision to turn down foreign help following Wednesday's collapse of a building near Dhaka that killed at least 386 people.

Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir told the BBC authorities were confident they could deal with the crisis and emergency services did "a good job".

Hundreds are thought to be trapped but hope of finding more alive is fading.

Most victims are thought to be garment factory workers. The building's owner has been arrested.

Mohammed Sohel Rana is one of eight people detained, along with at least two garment factory owners.

They face allegations of negligence, illegal construction and persuading workers to enter the building in Savar - a day after visible cracks appeared.

Separately two companies whose suppliers were based in the building, Britain's Primark and Canada's Loblaw, said on Monday they would pay compensation and offer emergency food aid to victims who worked for their suppliers.

'Proud'

Alamgir said that the Bangladeshi authorities "were confident we could manage it ourselves" in the rescue operation and had "enough people" involved in the rescue operation.

He pointed out that nearly 2,430 of at least 3,000 people who had been in the building survived.

The minister said this figure was "better than the average international effort in such cases".

"We did a good job and I am proud of my people - the firemen, the military, the police, the local volunteers who all came in to help."

Alamgir added that foreign countries had not provided a list of specialist equipment Bangladesh had asked for.

Both the UK government and the United Nations have said they had teams of experts ready to head out to Bangladesh, but their offer of help was turned down.

'No-one seen alive'

Anger at the building's collapse has triggered days of violent protests in Dhaka demanding those responsible be punished and for an improvement in factory conditions.

Garment industry workers across the country were given the weekend off, in the hope that the anger would fade.

But on Monday, thousands of workers walked out of factories in the Ashulia and Gazipur industrial districts shortly after they opened, and staged a protest march, reportedly setting fire to an ambulance.

Bangladesh has one of the largest garment industries in the world, providing cheap clothing for major Western retailers that benefit from its widespread low-cost labour.

But the industry has been widely criticised for its low pay and limited rights given to workers and for the often dangerous working conditions in garment factories.

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